Luckily for the San Francisco 49ers, they never pulled the trigger on a Jimmy Garoppolo trade over the offseason.
After re-structuring the veteran’s contract to make him the highest-paid backup quarterback in the league, the 49ers will now need Garoppolo to take over as QB1 again after Trey Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon.
Now, it’s Garoppolo’s team again. And after he led them to an easy win over the Seahawks, the betting odds for the 49ers to make a Super Bowl run this season have actually gotten better.
49ers Super Bowl Odds Shift with Garoppolo
Per Caesars Sportsbook, the 49ers were listed as 25-1 before Sunday’s game and shifted to 22-1 to win the Super Bowl after Garoppolo came in for the injured Lance. Now, the line sits at 20-1.
Sure, having their way with the Seahawks probably has something to do with the line movement, but the immediate shift also indicates that oddsmakers think the Niners are better off with Garoppolo under center than Lance.
According to reports, several 49ers players feel the same way as well.
“This is the part no one wants to say publicly, but something several players and coaches enunciated privately in the wake of Sunday’s game—the 49ers are a better team right now with Garoppolo at quarterback than they were with Lance,” Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote. Two sources even told Silver, “I can’t say it, but you can.”
During the 27-7 win over the Seahawks, Garoppolo completed 13 of 21 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown. With the win, the Niners now sit at 1-1, with their next matchup on Sunday Night Football against the Denver Broncos.
“Just like riding a bike,” Garoppolo said after the win to ESPN. “It felt good to be back out there. Feel terrible for Trey. I’ve been on that side of it. This league is tough. That sucks for him.”
